Goochland The Virginia Department of Transportation will repave about 4 miles of state Route 6 in Goochland County this summer. Blakemore Construction Corp. of Richmond will repave the section of highway from a mile east of state Route 680 to 2 miles east of state Route 615. The work, which should be wrapped up in September, is part of a $2.3-million paving contract with the state.

Richmond David M. Poole was honored by the Virginia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists last night for helping shed light on campaign contributions and spending. Poole is the executive director of the Virginia Public Access Project, a database that tracks money in politics. In a ceremony at Willow Oaks Country Club featuring Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the society presented Poole with the George Mason Award for outstanding contributions to journalism.

Petersburg The city's public schools are planning a hearing tomorrow at 6 p.m. on policy issues regarding attendance, school choice, transfers, admissions, truancy, student conduct, discipline, detention and dress code. The public hearing will be at the School Board Administrative Office, 255 South Boulevard East.

Chesterfield The new Chesterfield Senior Center at Episcopal Church of Our Savior will have a grand opening from 10 a.m. to noon today. The center is at 4000 Stigall Drive near Hull Street and Genito roads. For details, call (804) 767-6295.

Henrico The Richmond National Battlefield Park's Chickahominy Bluffs unit on U.S. 360 west of Mechanicsville is closed to the public through the end of May for paving and construction. For updates and other details, visit www.nps.gov/rich, or call (804) 226-1981.

Ettrick Virginia first lady Anne Holton, a former juvenile and domestic relations judge in Richmond, and Jerrauld C. Jones, a juvenile and domestic relations judge in Norfolk, will be guest speakers tomorrow at Virginia State University's annual Conference on Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Criminal Justice System. The all-day conference begins at 8 a.m. in VSU's Engineering and Technology Building.

King William The West Point/Tri-Rivers Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring its annual Spring's A Poppin' event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the West Point Square Shopping Center. Plants, flowers, vegetables and shrubs will be sold and gardening advice and tips will be available. For more information, call (804) 843-4620.

AROUND THE STATE

Botetourt Under pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, Botetourt County has backed off an ordinance that limits when political campaign signs can be displayed on private property. Kent Willis, the head of the state's ACLU branch, said yesterday that he had been informed by Botetourt Administrator Gerald Burgess that the ordinance would be repealed. The ordinance prohibits posting campaign signs on private property more than 60 days in advance of an election or more than 15 days after. The ACLU argued the ordinance was unconstitutional on free speech grounds.

Danville The third victim of a garage fire that had already claimed two lives died during the weekend at the University of North Carolina Burn Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. Monroe Gwynn Lea, 76, was in the two-bay garage on Jefferson Avenue when it burst into flames at about 1 p.m. on Jan. 5.

Spotsylvania HCA Inc. officials today will mark the start of construction of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, a 126-bed hospital planned for south of Fredericksburg. The groundbreaking is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the building site, which is off Interstate 95 at U.S. 17. The $152 million hospital has a projected 2009 opening date.